The
Mercy Seat(Also known as the Lid of the Covenant
Box)"Put the lid on the Covenant Box." (Exo 26:34)

The Mercy Seat was not really a seat.

There were no seats in the
tabernacle, as the work of the priest was not
finished until Christ came. Only when his work was completed,
did he sit down.

"Christ, however, offered one
sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever,
and then he sat down at the right side of God. There he now waits
until God puts his
enemies as a footstool under his feet." (Heb 10:12-13)

Christ is
the Alpha (the brazen altar) and the Omega (the mercy seat) of our
faith.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Rev 22:13
KJV)

The mercy
seat of the tabernacle was made of pure gold and had no wood in
it.

"Make a lid of pure gold."
(Exo 25:17)

The gold
makes the mercy seat of the tabernacle very precious,
but not as valuable as the blood sprinkled on it.

"He shall take some of the
bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the
lid and then sprinkle some of it seven times in front of the
Covenant Box. After that, he shall kill the goat for the sin
offering for the people, bring its blood into the Most Holy Place,
and sprinkle it on the lid and then in front of the Covenant Box,
as he did with the bull's blood. In this way he will perform the
ritual to purify the Most Holy Place from the uncleanness of the
people of Israel and from all their sins."
(Lev 16:14-16)

The gold of the mercy seat of the
tabernacle spoke of the propitiation from sin. Gold refers to the
divine and wood to the earthly, clearly demonstrating that
propitiation (the clearing of sin) belongs solely to
God.

"Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1Jo
4:10)

"Being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His
blood." (Rom 3:24-25)

The lid of
the covenant box inside the tabernacle was called the mercy
seat because it mercifully covered the law that was inside the
Box.

"Put the two stone tablets
inside the Box and put the lid on top of it." (Exo
25:21)

Two cherubim formed part of the mercy seat inside the Most Holy
place
of the tabernacle. Symbolically, they refer to Christ as the
Word of God.

Cherubim
is the plural of cherub. A cherub is a type of angel, having
four faces and four wings. Cherubs are the protectors of God's
glory.

The
cherubim were facing each other, signifying agreement between the
Written
Word and the Living Word, Christ, who came to fulfill the law, not
to abolish it.

"Do not think that I have
come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the
prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their
teachings come true." (Mat 5:17)

The
cherubim were also looking at the blood sprinkled on the lid of the
mercy seat
of the tabernacle and keeping their wings over it for protection.
The Old Testament looked forward towards Calvary and the New
Testament looks back at Calvary.

"Make two winged creatures
(cherubim) of hammered gold, one for each end of the lid.
Make them so that they form one piece with the lid. The winged
creatures (cherubim) are to face each other across the lid, and
their outspread wings are to cover it." (Exo 25:18-20)

'Shekinah' glory.

The Hebrew
word 'shekinah' refers to the glory that is manifested through
God's presence. This word, even though not found in the Bible,
describes the glory found
between the wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat of the
tabernacle.

"I will meet you there, and
from above the lid between the two winged creatures
(cherubim)
I will give you all my laws for the people of Israel." (Exo
25:22)

"When Moses went into the
Tent to talk with the LORD, he heard the LORD speaking to him from
above the lid on the Covenant Box, between the two winged creatures
(cherubim)." (Num 7:89)

This is
still the place where God meets with man, somewhere between
the pages of His written word and the blood that was shed on
Calvary.

"Let us have confidence,
then, and approach God's throne (the mercy seat), where
there is grace.
There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we
need it." (Heb 4:16)

Would you
not also like to meet up with God between the wings of
the cherubim upon the lid of the mercy seat inside the
tabernacle?